Hoppers of North Carolina

Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Fitchana vitellina - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE	Subfamily: Deltocephalinae	Tribe: Athysanini
Taxonomic Author: (Fitch, 1851)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A fairly distinctively patterned orange species, with yellowish head, face, and anterior base of the pronotum; the head is moderately pointed. The eyes are greenish-yellow, and the legs are yellowish with darker coloration at the joints. The posterior half of the pronotum is orange-brown, sometimes with three pale longitudinal markings. The scutellum is yellowish with orange-brown basal corners. There is a thin black line on an otherwise yellow face, below the vertex margin. The forewings are orange-brown with pale speckling; the base of each clavus is a darker brown, and there is an oblique transverse brown band closer to the tips that forms a V. The male subgenital plates are short, triangular and pointed. The posterior margin of the female pregenital sternite has a large rounded lobe on either side of a short median projection. Adult males are 5.0 mm long, females are 6.0-6.5 mm [though based on records collected in NC below, males can range to around 6.0 mm and females to 6.8 mm]. (Hepner, 1947) For more images of this species, see: BG. For images of a pinned specimen and drawings of various aspects of the species, see: 3i.

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Distribution: Primarily Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada, occurs as far south as the southern Appalachians in North Carolina (also reported from Clarksville in TN); also reported from western Canada. (Hepner, 1947)

Abundance: Recorded from a few counties in the mountains, probably more abundant in this region; this species was not previously known from the state.

Seasonal Occurrence

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in forest edge, fields, meadows and lawns.

Plant Associates: Has been reported from blackberry and dewberry, on which it can cause leaves to curl and redden; also collected from grasses, sedges and shrubs. (Hepner, 1947)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is part of a taxonomic conundrum. Most authors treat vitellina as belonging to the genus Fitchana, but it has also been placed within Platymetopius as P. vitellinus. While there is limited genetic evidence to suggest that Fitchana and Platymetopius are related, its premature as of right now to synonymize the two genera and we will treat our specimens in North Carolina as belonging to Fitchana.

Additionally, three species were at one point described for North America. However, the rationale for these separations seems unclear. Hepner (1947) noted that vitellina had a wide range across the continent and there was little variation outside of specimens from Tennessee that were slightly larger. C. Dietrich notes the following: "Various authors have treated those other two Fitchana species as synonyms of vitellina. In his catalogue, Metcalf lists them as valid but it’s not clear why. I don’t think anyone has described or illustrated the male genitalia of all 3 based on study of the type specimens, so their status remains unclear."

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Fitchana vitellina No Common Name
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: males
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: males	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 1 female (6.8 mm), 2 male (6.1 mm)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 1 female (6.8 mm), 2 male (6.1 mm)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 1 female (6.8 mm), 2 male (6.1 mm)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 1 female (6.8 mm), 2 male ( mm)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 1 female (6.8 mm), 2 male ( mm)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 2 male, 1 female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 2 male, 1 female
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 2 male, 1 female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: 2 male, 1 female
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: male, 6.0 mm, and female, 7.0 mm	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: male, 6.0 mm, and female, 7.0 mm
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: male and female	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: male and female
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: male and female	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby - unid_leafhopper

Fitchana vitellina - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Fitchana vitellina No Common Name